Constringence quantifies how much a material disperses different wavelengths of light, determining the severity of chromatic aberration. It is calculated from the refractive indices of the material at specific blue, green, and red wavelengths. Materials with high constringence exhibit low dispersion, keeping colors tightly focused together rather than splitting them into a spectrum.
Heard on the job
We specified a crown glass with a high constringence to minimize the color fringing on the edges of the beam.
Also heard as
- Abbe number
- V-number